On 2 June 1947[1] new laws were passed to help the government in the 'battle':

on fighting high prices and excessive profit in trade (maximum prices were introduced by Biuro Cen, and owners of shops where prices were found higher than maximum were subject to a high fine and five years of imprisonment when found by a special commission (The Special Commission for Counteracting Frauds and Profiteering — Komisja Specjalna do Walki ze Spekulacją i Nadużyciami)[1])

new fines or taxes (domiary) were levied on the private sector, applicable when government officials found that the private business was generating higher revenues than declared[1]

This new legislation allowed the government to accuse many shopkeepers of sabotage, imprison them and nationalise their enterprises. The name itself, 'battle for trade', was introduced by Polish communist propaganda, to denote the importance and urgency of the fight against 'capitalist speculators and saboteurs'.[2]

The number of private retail shops fell from 150,000–185,000 in 1946 (numbers vary) through 131,000 in 1947 to 58,000–70,000 in 1949.[1]Wholesale stores fell from 3300 to 1100.[1] By 1953 only 7% of shops in Poland remained in private hands (about 14,000 in 1955); 75% of craftsmen's workshops were closed or nationalized (to 80,000).[3]

Since many fewer government-run shops were opened, it marked the beginning of the shortage economy, as people found it increasingly difficult to find a shop with items of everyday use.[4]

All Polish businesses that employed more than 50 staff were nationalized in 1948.